Chevrolet today unveiled the Corvette Z06 GT3.R, a customer-focused racecar and its first-ever vehicle that has been designed to fully meet FIA GT3 technical regulations.
A followup to the Corvette C8.R, which was introduced in 2019, the Corvette Z06 GT3.R builds on that program, which competed in the now discontinued GTLM class. The new racecar will compete in the GT Daytona class starting in 2024.
“The Corvette Z06 GT3.R breaks new ground for Chevrolet and the Corvette Racing program,” said Mark Stielow, director, GM Motorsports Engineering Competition. “This customer-focused racecar leverages learnings from throughout Corvette Racing’s lengthy and successful history, plus the expertise of our Corvette production design, engineering and powertrain teams.”
Like its predecessor, the Corvette Z06 GT3.R will be powered by Chevrolet’s 5.5-liter, flat-plane crank DOHC V8 engine. As with the roadgoing 2023 Corvette Z06, the racecar’s engine will be built in Bowling Green, Kentucky, and even in competition-spec, it shares 70 percent of its components with the street car.
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“Racing continues to play a key role in the development of our production engines,” said Russ O’Blenes, director, Performance and Racing Propulsion Team. “There were valuable lessons learned during the C5-R through C7.R programs that aided in the development of our V8 engines for production and racing—many dealing with efficiency, materials and light-weighting.”
Similarly, Chevy says that the 2024 Corvette Z06 GT3.R shares many chassis components with the street car. In fact, Pratt Miller, the team tasked with the construction of the racecars, starts with the road going Z06’s aluminum chassis and adds a steel roll cage to it.
It then adds racing springs and dampers to it, along with brake rotors, calipers, and pads, and 18-inch wheels. It also gets its own aero and ducting package, albeit one that shares much in common with the road car.
More: 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Shows Off Its Trick Aero Engineering
“Corvette Racing has been an important influence on the design of Corvette production cars for 25 years,” said Tadge Juechter, executive chief engineer, Corvette. “Corvette production and racing teams worked together closely in development to maximize the benefits of a mid-engine design, sharing lessons learned that set both programs up for all-out performance on the track.”
Chevrolet says that the 2024 Corvette Z06 GT3.R has been testing virtually since 2021, and that it is now testing in real life. The racecar will seek to keep Corvette Racing’s legacy of racing dominance alive. In 25 years of IMSA racing, the team has won 113 races, as well as 14 manufacturer’s and driver’s championships, and 15 team titles, more than any other team in that span of time.
With its new focus on customer racing, Chevrolet plans to send out an at-track parts truck to North American racing events starting in 2024, with a European customer support system to follow. Engineering, race strategy, and other help is also being offered to customer teams.
“Supporting our customers is an area where we are putting in a lot of time and effort,” said Christie Bagne, GM assistant sports car racing program manager. “With this being our first customer GT3 offering, we have had meetings with many prospective customers to learn from their previous experiences, find what is important to them from a support standpoint and come up with a program that meets their expectations.”
The 2024 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R will make its racing debut in a year’s time at the 2024 Rolex 24 at Daytona.
